think ive replayed the guilty over self indulgence song my whole life... even when the indulgence was one meal out or, the example you gave, a bag of cookies...

every year for christmas it was juggle and budget... push a few bills back.. try to find breathing room, then, Feb would come, and the credit card bills were due... geez... talk about sick of a cycle...

its tuff everywhere they say... ive moved to lower budget economies, but the pay slides right down and stays even with the cost of living...

this has always been one of the demons ive fought... its poverty... thats what it is... i thought it only happened in other countries when i was a kid... even when i first started out and thats where i was, i didnt recognize it as being poor... just a temporary situation i thought...

as ive gotten older and played the game and entered into the higher paying fields, i found that more money didnt make me happier either..

now i have a simple job with good people and work only two days a week... i'm not rich by any means, but ive been fortunate in ways...

not everyone is as lucky as i am, so if i were someone else i would have to think about higher education... either that or land a job with real growth potential... but ive gotta tell you... my depressed mind never fit that world..

use coupons, shop sales, thrift shop if you can... substitute name brand for store brand.. buddie shop and divide the goods later (some things are cheaper in quantity) ...

barter if you can... find someone who cuts hair, offer to iron for her/him, etc... craigslist.org has barter and exchange categories in your area maybe, not to mention free items...

i know its depressing... i comforted myself with the idea that the best things in life are free...